Chagrined
by wolfypuppypiles
Summary: Steve gets hurt and worries Danny, and gets a telling off for his trouble


"Steve get out of there, now!" Danny yelled into his earpiece as he tried to fight the hands holding him back. There was a bomb in an apartment complex, and while everyone sane had left the building as fast as they could, Mr Super SEAL was still inside.

"There's still a couple of people here, I have to get them out!"

Danny was sweating like crazy, panicking over the idiot and the ticking clock, counting down the explosion. Bomb squad wouldn't get there fast enough, and they had only seconds left.

"Get out of there right now or so help me Steven, I will kill you!" Danny was really working himself up, screaming so loudly, Chin and Kono winced and almost pulled out their own earpieces.

Grover grumbled about going deaf, while Steve sprinted through the building, scooping up a ten-year-old as he did. "I got the last one! Move everyone back!"

Chin looked worriedly at the clock, as he placed a hand on Danny's shoulder; offering what little comfort he could while their leader was in such grave danger.

"Everyone's behind the perimeter, Steve but you only have ten seconds left!"

Danny cursed and rubbed an anxious hand over his head, wanting to pace or shout but having to hide instead and just hope that the idiot made it out alive.

Chin counted down the seconds, as Danny's panicked breaths got quicker, and Steve's panting grew in intensity.

"Eight. Seven. Six. Five.."

"Steven, dammit!"

A few straggler residents sprinted from the building, making Danny's anxiety spike for every one that wasn't Steve, until the last few seconds when that idiot finally flew through the doors, holding a terrified child.

"Steve!"

The bomb blew, turning the ground level of the building into a whirlwind of fire and debris; sending glass flying into the street and flames pouring from the doorway. Steve had only gotten a few meters away when the bomb exploded, and the force of the blast sent him soaring.

Danny watched in horror as his partner did his best to protect the kid in his arms while being flung towards the unforgiving concrete. For someone who liked cats so much, he did a terrible job of landing on his feet, seeming to twist in the air, as much as he could, in order to soften the child's landing with his own body.

He struck the ground hard, eyes snapping shut as pain took over everything, and succumbed to the darkness.

Danny watched Steve hit the ground, and ran to him as soon as the explosion was over. Screams echoed around him but all he could see were those closed eyes and slack jaw, blood pooling on the concrete behind his head like a dark halo.

"Steve! I need medics over here, officer down!"

Kono was right behind Danny as he ran over, carefully pulling the crying child from her boss's limp arms. The kid was shaken but okay, and Danny felt like throwing up at the way Steve's arms fell from the kid, to smack against the ground. He wasn't moving.

The detective knelt beside his partner, quickly pressing two fingers to the SEAL's throat. He didn't breathe until he felt it, that thrumming beat, telling him his idiot had survived. Kono handed off the crying kid to his relieved and grateful mother, before kneeling down next to her teammates.

"Is he alive?"

Danny nodded and angrily wiped at his damp eyes as he placed a shaking hand against Steve's chest, finding comfort in the rise and fall, however strained it seemed to be.

"We gotta get the medics over here, he's bleeding too fast."

Kono looked at the blood pooling on the ground and watched Danny as he carefully slipped his hands under his partners head, bracing his neck so that he wouldn't move, while trying to stop the bleeding.

"Head wounds bleed a lot, you know that. I'm sure he'll be okay, Danny." Her attempt to reassure did not go unnoticed, but it did nothing to stop Danny from thinking the worst.

"Yeah, it's not just the bleeding I'm worried about." He had hit his head, _so_ hard it was a wonder he still had one left at all. And the detective knew they could be looking at a serious head injury.

Kono yelled for some medics, waving them over and stepping back to allow them room. One of the medics nodded to Danny and replaced his hands on Steve's head, placing a collar to stabilize the neck and holding gauze to stop the bleeding.

"Sir, I need you to step back. We'll take care of him."

Chin patted Danny's back in comfort as they watched the medics work, placing lines and lifting eyelids, all the while rattling off numbers and acronyms that Danny didn't understand. Finally, they shifted the unconscious man onto a back board and strapped him onto a gurney.

"I'm coming with him." His words were quiet but stern, not even waiting for an answer as he hopped into the back of the ambulance and took one of his partners hands in his.

It was always hard seeing the indestructible super SEAL when he was hurt, and Danny couldn't take his eyes off those closed eyes and pale face, wires snaking over his chest and straps pinning him down. He needed to focus, to get a hold on his emotions; but Steve hadn't woken up or reacted to anything and he was getting worried. Well, more worried.

The arrived at the hospital and Steve was taken away for head scans, leaving Danny standing in the hall staring after them.

The rest of the team met him in the ER waiting room, asking questions he couldn't give answers to.

"Is he okay?"

"Did they say anything?"

The detective looked down at his blood-stained hands and tried not to throw up.

"I don't know, they took him for tests. How's the kid?"

Chin lead the man over to a chair as Kono went to fetch something to wash the blood off his hands.

"He's okay, we had him looked over, he got away with a few scratches. Everyone else got out fine, no casualties. How are you doing?"

Danny looked up, surprised. "Me? I'm fine."

Grover raised an eyebrow in that pointed look of his, meaning he didn't believe a word he was hearing.

Danny rolled his eyes and accepted the damp paper towels Kono was offering. "I'm worried, okay? His head bounced off that concrete like a basketball and he wasn't showing any signs of waking up, and there was just so much blood and-"

Kono knelt in front of the detective and took the wet paper from his hands; he'd been squeezing it to a pulp without realizing. She gently wiped it over his hands and cleared away the blood, making him feel like a child as she cleaned him up. He was grateful for her care, and watched her as she spoke quietly to him.

"Boss is tough, and very stubborn and I think you'll be the first to agree that his head is thick as tree bark. He'll be okay, and you know he hates when you worry."

Danny took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Kono was right, if anyone could walk away from something like this it was Steve. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to worry.

Time ticked on, and no news came. Danny took to pacing and wringing his hands as the waiting room started to fill with people. It took hours, and everyone was getting antsy without any news.

Finally, a doctor came out and called for the family of Steve McGarrett, blinking in surprise when half the room of people stood up. Danny hurried towards her and squeezed his fingers anxiously in front of himself, the rest of the team crowding behind.

"How is he, doc?"

The woman took a breath and pressed her clipboard to her chest.

"He's doing well, we got the bleeding sorted before it became too much of a problem. The cut on the back of his head required ten stitches and he does have a pretty bad concussion but the CT came back clear so we'll just keep him overnight for observation before he can go home."

There was a collective sigh of relief but Danny wasn't completely done.

"He wasn't responding to anything before, is he…?"

The doctor nodded, looking down at her clipboard as she spoke.

"Yes, he woke up a little while ago and he's answering all questions, and alert. He actually insisted he was fine and tried to leave so we gave him a mild sedative to help keep him in bed. Now, I understand you were worried about his liver. You asked that it be checked, and while he has some bruising to his back and ribs from the fall, his liver is fine."

Danny nodded, shoulders sagging in relief.

"Good, thank you. Can I see him?"

Another nod and an apologetic smile to the rest of the group.

"Yes, but he needs to rest so just one or two visitors at a time, I'm afraid. He was asking to speak to someone named Danno first?"

The detective rolled his eyes but smiled at the confused woman.

"That would be me, even though I've told the idiot not to call me that."

She was about to lead him down the hall when the pattering of little feet caught his attention.

"Danno!" It wasn't Steve calling him that this time, but Charlie, running down the hall with his sister behind him, looking scared. Danny bent down and caught his son in his arms, picking him up and holding him to his side with one arm, so that he could wrap the other around Grace.

"Mom said Uncle Steve was hurt! Is he going to be okay? Is that blood?"

Danny released Grace and looked down at his sleeve, mentally cursing the smear of blood on his cuff. He shook his head and gently wiped a tear that fell down her cheek.

"No, everything's okay. Uncle Steve saved a little kid from a bomb today and hit his head but he's okay, it was just a little bump. He's going to be fine. I'm going in to see him now, but you can visit when I come back to get you okay? I just need to talk to him first."

Grace nodded and sniffed, as Danny gave Charlie a cuddle and a kiss on the forehead. The toddlers voice was sad.

"Uncle Steve got hurt?"

Danny rocked him in his arms, savouring the snuggle from the little guy.

"Yeah, but he's okay. He's a superhero and heroes are always okay, right?"

Charlie nodded. "Right. Love you Danno."

"Love you too, munchkin. Stay with Gracie, I'll be back soon."

He placed the kid on the ground and gave a reassuring smile to Grace before turning back to the waiting doctor.

She nodded and lead him to a private room, where one Steven McGarrett was waiting in a bed, playing with the wires attached to his chest.

Danny was so glad to see him awake, and even more glad that he had a private room, because he planned to start yelling as soon as the doctor left.

Steve spotted him as he thanked the doctor and closed the door.

"Hey, Danno! Is that kid okay? He was really scared."

The blonde bit his lip and nodded.

"He's fine, are you okay?"

The SEAL nodded nonchalantly, as if he hadn't almost cracked his skull open on the pavement.

"Are you sure? You promise everything's okay?" Danny was genuinely asking, because he needed to know that he could hit the dumb ass without breaking him.

Steve waved his hand in the air, before frowning at the IV at the back of his hand. "I promise, buddy."

"Good, because I have a few things to say to you."

Steve made a face, knowing he was in for it, but he didn't say anything, just waved a hand in invitation for his partner to continue. Which he did, voice hard.

"You're an idiot. A total and complete lunatic! You cannot go running into buildings that are about to blow up!"

Steve sighed, feeling admonished only because he knew how worried Danny had been.

"Danny, I'm sorry but those people needed help getting out and I-"

The detective interrupted. "I'm not finished. You can't just run blind into every dangerous situation you come across, because we need you! I need you, Steven. I can't lose you, because I can't look at my kids and tell them their Uncle Steve is gone. Grace is out there crying, and Charlie is too young to understand and I won't tell them that you're gone! If you don't stop and think about what you're doing, you are going to end up leaving them and I'm not letting that happen!

"I know you think you have to save everyone, but you need to think about what you'd be leaving if you don't make it out next time. That waiting room is full of people that love you, and you. Will not. Leave them. I love you Steven, and my kids love you, and you will do everything in your power to stay alive long enough to cry with me when Grace gets married. Because I will have a panic attack unless you're there with one of your annoyingly inspiring speeches. Do you understand me? You don't get to leave, I won't let you." Danny's eyes were suspiciously misty as his voice shook, and Steve felt sufficiently chagrined as he nodded.

"I understand. I'm sorry I worried you and made Grace cry. I didn't mean to."

Danny sniffed and reached for his partner, placing a hand at the back of Steve's neck and pulling him in for a hug.

"Come here, I know. I hate you so much."

Steve let out a small laugh. "I know you do. I love you too, Danno."

There was that nickname again, but the detective didn't have the energy to tell him off anymore, so he just hugged him for a while, until his heart calmed.

Steven J. McGarrett was the biggest idiot he'd ever met, but god dammit he was one lovable son of a bitch.


End file.
